A Guardian Rises
by dualCalibur
Summary: Guardians must rise to defend the light of the Traveler. Darkness encroaches and three Guardians find themselves at the center of events that closely follow the main story in Destiny with some twists and turns along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is chapter one of my first destiny fanfic. I really like this game, even though the story is hidden away in grimoire cards and not accessible through the game. I will try to hold to a schedule of two chapters a week, though that may not be feasible as college starts again soon.**

 **This story is based on the video game Destiny.**

"Guardian . . . Guardian. Eyes up Guardian." a metallic but, strangely smooth voice sounded in the freshly revived ears of Marcus Vol, an Awoken of the Reef. Marcus gave a start and sat up, a confused look on his pale, blue-gray face.

"What? I'm a . . . Guardian? No, I'm not a Guardian, I'm an agent of her Majesty, Queen of the Awoken, I am absolutely not a Guardian." Marcus said as he stood up to his full height of six feet tall and regarded the small floating polyhedral metal object before him. "I-" he stopped and looked around. Wreckage was strewn about around him where he stood in a small crater. His glowing blue eyes narrowed to slits. "What happened here?" he asked.

"This is where I finally found you. I am your Ghost and you are a Guardian." The Ghost said calmly. "I was dispatched by the Traveler to find you and revive you as a Guardian. I was originally sent to the Reef as that was where you died but, when I arrived, your corpse was not there. Luckily I was able to get back to Earth by riding with the Guardian who had brought me all the way out there in the first place. That was four days ago." Marcus was dumbstruck.

"I died? In the Reef?! And now you revived me as a Guardian?!" Marcus sputtered before calming himself. "Okay, Marc, just breathe," he said to himself as he closed his eyes. "Just breathe and think. Breathe and calm down." After a series of deep breaths Marcus ran his hands down his face in an effort to collect himself. "So where are we now?" He asked the Ghost, _his_ Ghost now, he supposed if he truly was a Guardian.

"Somewhere on the North American continent of Earth." The Ghost said. "We need to get to the city quickly, before the Fallen find us. Luckily, for now, there doesn't seem to be any nearby." As the Ghost talked Marcus tied his thick, spiky black hair back into a tail and walked to the edge of the crater. Past the impact zone thick brown grass grew to knee height and the occasional tree dotted the landscape. The leaves on the trees were brown and many were lying on the ground.

"My ship crashed here? I don't remember being on a ship. For that matter, I don't remember dying either." Marcus said, looking to his Ghost for an answer.

"Some memory loss is to be expected, though with you being dead for just a short time, only recent short term memory should be affected." The Ghost explained. Marcus looked relieved to hear that he should have most of his memories intact, but he still could not remember dying. Maybe it would come back with time, he thought. "I've detected faint energy readings similar to that of a Regulus Class 99 ship to the north. It seems to be in the remains of a Pre-Golden Age city." The Ghost said, it's electronic voice hopeful.

"Hold on Ghost," Marcus held up his hand. "I think we should introduce ourselves if we're going to be partners. I am Marcus Vol, formerly of the Reef and agent of Her Majesty, Queen of the Awoken, but I guess I'm a Guardian now so I am not sure where I stand with the Queen. It is a pleasure to meet you Ghost." His Ghost dipped in acknowledgment and Marcus bowed formally.

"And I am your Ghost, creation of the Traveler and seeker of Guardians. That is all." His Ghost said simply. Marcus was confused.

"You don't have a name? What do you call yourself? Just Ghost?" He said.

"I'm just Ghost. Some Guardians do name their Ghosts, though it is not altogether common." The Ghost said.

"Well I think you should have a name." Marcus said. "How about Blue?" The Ghost shook back and forth, indicating negative. "Do you want a male name or a female name? Your voice sounds male."

"If I were a species that reproduces sexually I would be considered male, yes." The Ghost said as he floated towards the north. Marcus followed, letting the Ghost lead the way towards the ruined city.

"What about a more normal name, like Peter?" suggested Marcus.

"Too boring." said the Ghost.

"Boring? You think Peter is a boring name for a Ghost." Marcus protested. "Okay, maybe Peter would get old eventually." Marcus glanced up at the sun to see that they were indeed heading north. "How about North?"

"That's not bad, has personality. I think that North will do just fine." North twirled a pirouette as if trying the name on for size. "Yes, I like it."

After walking for about half a day Marcus and North finally entered the city outskirts. Along the way North had scavenged enough materials to create a long coat, boots, gloves, and a helmet for Marcus, to protect against the elements better than his previous skin tight black jumpsuit. Marcus put on the helmet and North disappeared in a burst of light. "Don't worry, I'm still with you." North said in Marcus' ear. "I have integrated a heads up display into your helmet. I can place way points, display your current shield status and even tell you how many bullets are left in your gun. If we could find one, that is. Your motion tracker is in the upper left corner."

"Thanks North." Marcus replied as he glanced at the tracker. It showed movement more than fifty meters to the north west. "I've got movement. Over fifty meters north west. Is it Fallen?" Marcus asked. "I wish I still had my sidearm." The sidearm had been nearly destroyed in the crash and was useless.

"We might be able to find a gun in a nearby building." North offered. "Lets try to avoid enemies until we find one." Marcus grunted in agreement and headed north east to skirt whatever was showing up on the motion tracker.

An ancient and nearly indistinguishable roadway led directly north and into the heart of the ruins. The remains of ancient skyscrapers stuck from the ground like rotten teeth. Their steel beams rusted and concrete walls crumbling with age and erosion. Plants had overrun many of the buildings and in some places signs of Fallen activity were evident. A wall with deep scratches here, brightly colored rags fluttering in the breeze there. What looked to be a damaged Fallen helmet sat on a ledge overlooking the roadway.

The further they went the more evidence of Fallen they saw. Marcus had been keeping an eye on the motion tracker, avoiding any large sources of motion as best he could. Suddenly the tracker lit up like the sun. Movement on all sides, rapidly approaching. Marcus looked around frantically for the source of the movement. Out of the buildings on each side of the road swarmed dozens of Fallen vandals, all wielding swords that sparked with arc energy. Their shrieks and cries threatened to overwhelm Marcus as he froze in place for fraction a second until North shouted.

"Run!"

Marcus ran. He ran faster than he had ever run before. He managed to get ahead of most of the vandals. The few who were in front of him set up to slice at him when he got close enough. Instead of running headlong into the vandal's swords Marcus slid at the last moment and ducked underneath the razor sharp blades. He transitioned smoothly from the slide back to sprinting. He was glad that the few males allowed to guard the Queen had to be trained so thoroughly. His endurance, strength, and speed were well above average for an Awoken male. The vandals screeched in frustration and took off after him.

"Take a left here!" North said, guiding Marcus towards where the ship should be. "Down this alley and across the street. Into the building with the broken sign over the door." Marcus didn't have time to read the sign as he passed below it into the dilapidated structure. "Up those stairs!" North continued. Marcus could hear the vandals beginning to give up, but one was still gaining. It had come within twenty feet when Marcus ran through the doorway to a large, open area with no roof. Across the brown, dead grass of the floor the vandal chased Marcus. Both party's lungs were straining and labored but still the vandal closed the distance. At about the middle of the open field the vandal lunged, tackling Marcus to the ground. It had dropped one of its swords somewhere along the way but still retained one of them. As it raised the arc blade for the kill a new-found determination welled up in Marcus. He would not die here, not after just being granted a second chance at life. Along with this determination came power. Heat coursed through his veins and fire burst from his hands in a brilliant orange plume. The vandal was scorched to ash in moments and Marcus just lied on the ground and tried to catch his breath.

"There's no time to rest yet, Marcus." North warned. "More vandals are on their way, with reinforcements. The ship should be under the floor here." North materialized and floated to the middle of the large open field that was surrounded by the building. Marcus looked up towards his Ghost. To the side a console of some kind was visible.

"There's a console over there." Marcus pointed across the field.

"Got it." North said as he zipped towards it. "You might want to step back." A deep rumbling sounded from below the floor as it began to move. Slowly, the floor separated along the midline of the field and revealed an old ship. "Lets hope this thing can still fly." North said as the ship rose from under the ground on a launching platform. The ship was white with blue accents beneath layers of dirt and dust. The running lights flickered on and the engines coughed to life. "Let's get out of here." North exclaimed with relief evident in his voice. "Bringing you in."

A white flash marked the transition from outside to inside the ship as North transmatted Marcus aboard. Many of the displays remained operable and above the main screen a bronze plate was fastened to the wall. On this plate were engraved the words "Outrageous Fortune".

"Hmph, fitting." Marcus said as he sat back in the pilot's chair and closed his eyes.

 **Chapter two should come out sometime this week. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, chapter two. I want to preface this chapter with some information. I plan to have each chapter be about 1500 to 2000 words. Not super long because I generally don't have long periods of time to sit down and write. So without further ado...**

Chapter 2

"We're nearing the Tower." North said, rousing Marcus from his slumber. All around the ship thick dark clouds blocked the view as they flew through them. Occasionally a bolt of lightning would arc across the sky and illuminate the clouds. The thunder was muted by the ship's hull. The storm parted suddenly and ahead the Last City and the Traveler were visible against the setting sun. Brilliant yellows and oranges and reds suffused the western horizon in a fiery halo, glinting off the Traveler and coloring the city in shades of bloody red and burning orange. "You don't see that everyday." North said, awed by the display of color.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." Marcus agreed. "If a little unsettling, the City looks like it's burning." North's only response was to shudder at the thought as he brought the ship in towards the Tower. It stood at the edge of the city like a sentinel against the Darkness, a beacon for the Light.

"I'm going to trasmat you onto the Tower and bring your ship into the hangar." North said. "Tonight, you should get some sleep. We will meet with the Vanguard tomorrow morning."

"I just slept for four hours, I can stay awake a while longer." Marcus said. "I want to talk to the shipwright about this sealed compartment." He indicated the storage compartment underneath the pilot's seat. It was locked with a strange mechanical device that North could not seem to figure out. He had been spinning a dial for quite some time but was unable get the lock open.

"I don't think Holliday will have any more insight into whatever this lock is than I do." North said doubtfully, frustration evident in his voice.

"I don't need her to open it, just get it out of the ship so I can study it more thoroughly. There's no need to be so hostile." Marcus said. North turned away in a huff, flattening out slightly. If he had arms he would have crossed them.

"Transmatting now." North said as Marcus disappeared, reappearing on the top floor of the Tower. "Welcome to the last safe place on Earth. It took centuries to build and now we're counting every day it stands and this Tower is where the Guardian's live." North explained as Marcus looked around. A few other Guardians walked around the top floor of the Tower. Some were chatting with each other and laughing while others looked out at the world through eyes haunted by the past. Service frames stood at various locations around the Tower, some were cleaning while one stood at a bounty board just up ahead. A mail center sat to the left and strange kiosks were to the right. Further left was a sign leading to the north end of the Tower. South led to the hangar. Marcus went south and found the shipwright sitting on a crate.

"Hello Guardian." said the shipwright. "I'm Amanda Holliday, Tower shipwright and chief mechanic of all Guardian ships." Holliday held out her hand and Marcus shook it. He was surprised by the strength of her grip. "You're a new Guardian, correct?" she said.

"Yes, I'm Marcus Vol, it is nice to meet you, Ms. Holliday." Marcus replied, smiling.

"Just call me Amanda, Ms. Holliday is my mother." She said with a laugh. "That's a nice ship you've got there, Marcus. Where'd you find it?"

"In the ruins of a Pre-Golden Age city on the North American continent." He said. "North here detected some energy signatures nearby where he revived me." Marcus indicated his Ghost.

"Hello Ghost, it's a pleasure." Holliday addressed North. "And North is a good name."

"Shipwright." North dipped in a Ghost's approximation of a nod. "On board our ship we found some sort of container that I can not open. It is locked with a mechanical lock that I have not been able to figure out. Can you remove the container from the ship for further study?"

"We certainly can. It will be done within the hour. Where is this container located?" Holliday asked.

"Under the pilot's seat." Marcus replied.

"Okay, I'll notify you when it is removed." Holliday said as she turned and began issuing orders to her subordinates. Marcus smiled and turned back towards the courtyard.

"Hold on there, Guardian." A deep, gravelly voice said from down a flight of stairs. "You look like you could use some new gear." Below, an Awoken male with lank black hair looked up at Marcus. "Dead Orbit can offer you a deal you can't pass up." The Awoken wore black and white robes and had a sharp black goatee.

"I'm sorry," Marcus said. "I don't have any glimmer." He walked away rather quickly. "I really don't like it when someone solicits me." He said to North. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"All of the faction vendors are like that." North said. "They all want to take your marks, not your glimmer, sometimes though they give you decent gear in return."

"They don't take glimmer? I thought that was the currency here." Marcus said. "What are these marks then?"

"Marks are rewards for competing in the crucible and for completing Vanguard bounties. The faction vendors only take "Crucible marks" while the Vanguard takes "Vanguard marks". There have been talks of consolidating the two into one "Legendary mark" but it doesn't seem to be gaining any traction." North explained. "We will have to wait and see if it actually happens." By then Marcus and North had entered the main courtyard. The Ghost flew down a short staircase to an Awoken man standing in front of a cloth tent.

"Hello, Ghost." The man said, sounding bored.

"Hello, Master Rahool." North replied and turned towards Marcus. "This is the Master Cryptarch. He will decrypt any engrams you may find out in the field into gear."

"What is an engram, you ask?" the Cryptarch said. "An engram is a form of matter that has been programmed to be decrypted into a specific item. Whether it is to be a weapon or a piece of armor, I will decrypt it for you at no charge."

"Okay, when I find an engram I will be sure to bring it straight to you for decryption. Thank you." Marcus said as he followed North towards an Exo standing behind a table.

"You're welcome Guardian." Master Rahool said as he turned back to his studies, muttering about some dead king.

The Exo looked up as Marcus approached and said. "Hello Guardian. Need a gun?"

"Not at the moment." Marcus said. "Though after my meeting with the Vanguard tomorrow that may change. It's not like I could afford one right now anyway."

"Then you're wasting my time." The gunsmith said brusquely as he turned back to his work.

"Okay, sorry." Marcus said. The gunsmith just grunted, busy putting an auto rifle back together. Marcus left the gunsmith to his work and headed towards the bounty board.

"Greetings, I am the Tower bounty tracker. You can accept bounties and turn them in to me for your reward." The bounty tracker said, sounding like a pre-recorded message.

"Okay good to know." Marcus replied as he followed North on the rest of the tour. After an hour of walking around the top floor of the Tower meeting with vendors, a few citizens and even a Guardian or two who stopped to introduce themselves North notified Marcus of Holliday's success.

"Holliday has removed the locked container from the ship." North said. "Hopefully we will be able to open it. I want to know what is inside it."

"You aren't the only one wondering what it could be." Marcus said as he ascended the stairs to where Holliday was sitting on the crate again holding a long, rectangular metal box.

"Here is your container." She said, holding it up to Marcus. "Strange locking mechanism my ass. It's just a simple combination lock. Easy to open if you have the right skills. I can open it for you if you want." Holliday smiled as North looked about as defeated as a Ghost could look.

"Yeah, open it up." Marcus said, glancing at North. "I think we all want to see what is inside." He took the container, allowing Holliday to access the lock. She put her ear to the side of the case and began to turn the dial. After turning the dial a ways she stopped and began to turn it the other way. One more time she reversed the rotation and stopped. The container opened with a hiss of pressurized air to reveal a gleaming black oiled frame of some kind of rifle. Other gun parts were set into cut out slots in the dark foam padding. "This had to have been in there for years." Marcus said, incredulous. "It looks like new."

"The container was fully sealed and pressurized. It isn't that hard to believe." North said. "We may need to talk to the gunsmith again."

"That can wait for tomorrow." Marcus said, yawning. "I'm feeling really tired all of a sudden. Thank you, Amanda, for opening this case for me. What can I do to repay you?" He addressed Holliday.

"It's no big deal, really." She said. "Hell, I was curious to see what was in it too. You could buy me a drink sometime though, but right now you should probably get some sleep. I've heard it takes quite a lot out of you, being resurrected and all. Good night Marcus."

"Good night." Marcus said as he went back to the courtyard and realized he had no idea where he was supposed to sleep. Luckily North spoke up.

"You have a temporary quarters set up a few floors down. I'll lead you to them." North said as he floated towards an elevator. The temporary quarters was small and cramped, contained two, small fold out cots set into the walls on either side. There was a small compartment in the wall for storage at the foot of the cot. Both beds were empty.

"Guess I'll just take one of the beds." Marcus said as he removed his armor. He left on the black body suit though and lay down on the bed. He was asleep within minutes and North settled down on the nightstand and went into standby mode.

 **I know things are moving a little slow right now but they should pick up next chapter, with meeting the vanguard and some new guardians and getting into a mission. Maybe more of Marcus' past will be revealed, who knows? Please review and leave any constructive criticism you may have, it really helps. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter is coming out later than I had wanted. I had hoped to get this out yesterday but couldn't finish it in time. It is a little longer and still did not get to a mission yet but I promise that is coming next.**

Chapter 3

The first rays of sunlight streamed in the tiny window and lit the room with bright golden light. The window was open a crack and the soft sounds of birds could be heard above the gentle susurrus of the wind. A slight tremor in the air silenced the bird calls and increased quickly to a deafening roar. A ship rocketed past Marcus' window, rattling the glass in its frame and waking him instantly.

"For the Queen's sake!" Marcus woke with a start. "What is going on out there?" He got up from the cot and went to the window. The ship had gone around the Tower and was out of sight. "Most likely entering the hangar." Marcus thought out loud as he turned to his Ghost. "North, what time is it?"

"The time is 0822 hours." North said, rising from the nightstand. "Your meeting with the Vanguard is at 0900." The Ghost floated towards the door. "You should probably eat some breakfast and take a shower." North made a sniffing sound as he moved around Marcus. "Yep, definitely a shower." Marcus was taken aback.

"What? How do you even smell? You don't have a nose." He said, surprised and a little offended. "Do you have some sort of olfactory sensor or something?" He grabbed his Ghost and began searching for any indication of a sensor but the shell was smooth and featureless.

"L-let go of me." North protested. "Hey, that is not comfortable." Marcus had begun trying to pry the front half of the Ghost from the back half. "Stop that!" North said as he broke from Marcus' grasp and re-calibrated himself.

"Okay, where's the shower?" Marcus asked, trying to suppress a laugh watching the Ghost adjust his shell one segment at a time. North just gave a little huff and told Marcus to follow. After showering Marcus followed North to the mess hall and broke his fast on bland, tasteless Vanguard rations. "This food tastes terrible." Marcus complained. "Haven't they ever heard of flavor additives?"

"Well these are military grade rations." North said. "Designed for being nutritious and nothing else."

"Even the worst stuff in the Reef was better than this." He continued. "And look, no one even eats here except for those guys over there." He motioned towards a group of men and women, some human some awoken and one exo, who looked like they could rip him in half with their bare hands. While Marcus had a physique more akin to a sprinter these individuals were like oxen with the exception of the exo, who was of average build but exuded more strength than the men. The exo noticed Marcus staring and excused themselves from the group. As they drew closer Marcus saw that they had a much sleeker body than he had originally thought, it struck him then, that this exo was female. Why hadn't he realized it sooner, and now that he saw it, it was obvious.

"Can I help you?" the exo said, clearly annoyed by Marcus' prying eyes.

"No, sorry. I was just wondering why no one eats here except you guys." Marcus said, keeping his head down and staring at his plate. "Well, besides me of course. I'm just a rookie and don't know where anything is around here." He looked up at the exo, whose face softened from a scowl to a smile.

"You aren't the only one who's a rookie." she said. "I was just revived last week and don't even have a fireteam yet. I'm Kat-3 by the way." she held out her hand and Marcus shook it without wincing at nearly being crushed.

"Marcus," he said, smiling against the pain in his hand. "Nice to meet you. I was revived yesterday after being dead for four days. I had lived in the Reef prior to my death and I guess it would be a bad idea to go back." Marcus found it was easy to talk to Kat-3. Maybe it was because they were in the same boat as rookies.

"I was dead for a lot longer than you were." Kat-3 said. "My Ghost, Cyclops, said I was dead for hundreds of years but I don't remember anything about when I was alive and honestly, I don't want to. I might as well have just been activated for the first time." She sat down across the table from Marcus as she talked. Her optics were a bright crimson, in coordination with the nodules on her head and the glow from her mouth. "Have you met with the Vanguard yet?" she asked.

"I meet with them at 0900 today for the first time." Marcus said, he downed the last of the thick nutrition drink that came with his breakfast. "I should probably get going." He got up to leave and Kat-3 stood with him.

"You better be a titan or I'm going to be mad." Kat-3 said as he left the mess hall behind. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

The Vanguard stood around a long table as Marcus descended the stairs to the Hall of Guardians. They all turned as he approached. Closest was a human woman with dark skin and darker close shaven hair. She wore a long purple and gray coat and had a strong female presence. Something Marcus was familiar with, being from a very matriarchal society in the Reef. The next was a male exo with blue and sliver paint and a horn-like protrusion on his forehead which probably contained specially modified sensors of some kind. He wore dark colored armor and a hood. The third and final person at the table was an awoken male. He was bald and wore heavy looking armor. His pale eyes missed nothing and his voice was deep when he spoke.

"Welcome Guardian, to the ranks of the final defense against the Darkness." He said. "I am Zavala, titan and commander of the Vanguard." Zavala motioned to the exo.

"Hi, I'm Cayde-6, hunter Vanguard." The exo said. "As much as I wish I could be in the field." He sighed and put down the tablet he was holding. Zavala motioned to the woman.

"I'm Ikora Rey, the warlock Vanguard." she said and smiled.

"I am Marcus Vol, it is a pleasure to meet you all." Marcus said, he had had an extensive education in etiquette in the Reef and he fell back on this when he was nervous. As he was now.

"Such good manners," Ikora said as she turned to the other Vanguard. "And I hear he has talent as a warlock."

"Damn," Cayde-6 cursed, "I was hoping for a new hunter."

"Yes," Zavala said, "It has been some time since a new hunter was raised."

"Hey, just because you got a new one last week doesn't make you any better than me." Cayde-6 said heatedly.

"Calm down boys, Cayde, I'm sure you will have a new hunter soon, and Zavala, I thought you were the professional one." Ikora chided. Both Zavala and Cayde-6 mocked hurt expressions but couldn't hold them. Marcus got the feeling that he had just walked in on a strong but good-natured rivalry between the three Vanguard leaders. "Now, it looks like you already have a suitable weapon," Ikora continued, "But it would still be beneficial to pick up a special weapon from Banshee-44. A sniper rifle, shotgun, or fusion rifle are considered special weapons while your scout rifle, auto rifles, handcannons, and pulse rifles are considered primary weapons. Heavy weapons are machine guns or rocket launchers. You can carry one of each type of gun at a time and your Ghost can store up to nine of each type. Here is a token for a special weapon." Ikora gave Marcus a small black token with the Vanguard "V" on it in orange. "You also get an armor piece of your choice from me." she said, indicating a crate full of odd bits of armor. Marcus picked up a helmet that he thought looked good and tried it on. It fit well enough and North integrated smoothly into the new gear. His motion tracker pinged and he looked towards the source.

Walking past Lord Shaxx was another Guardian. This Guardian wore gear similar to Marcus' except that it was designed for a hunter and for a woman. The gear looked to have been recently fabricated by a Ghost though it had seen an extensive amount of damage recently. The entire left side of the armor had been blackened and charred from the helmet to the boots and was punctured just below the ribcage. The smell of burnt plastic and wiring filled the air as the Guardian approached. Marcus reacted quickly and hurried to aid her. He was just in time to catch her as she collapsed. All three Vanguard quickly came to aid the fallen Guardian as well.

"We need to get her to the hospital, quickly!" Marcus said, desperate to save this wounded Guardian. Zavala took the unconscious Guardian and lifted her easily out of Marcus' arms and began to move quickly towards a door. Marcus followed until they arrived at the hospital wing, strategically located only a few floors down from the top of the Tower. Ikora Rey held the doors open ahead of Zavala and Cayde-6 ran in and called for Dr. Gray, the best doctor the Tower had to offer, as he approached an aide.

"We have a downed Guardian, get an emergency room ready. Find Dr. Gray." Cayde-6 said loudly, clearing a path to the ER for Zavala. Marcus followed closely behind Ikora as they entered the ER. Zavala set the Guardian down on the operating table and a few moments later Dr. Gray arrived. Dr. Gray was a short woman of average build, no more than thirty years old with intense blue eyes and a white lab coat. Her light blond hair was tied in a ponytail with a band of metal. She took one look at the patient and shouted for her aides.

"You four should wait outside," she said to Marcus and the Vanguards. "We will need room to operate." They were ushered out of the ER and told to wait there. Both Ikora and Zavala left after a few minutes, deciding that waiting around would not speed up the surgery and that they should probably get back to work. Cayde-6 stayed a while longer, worried about his new hunter. Marcus decided to stay until the operation was finished. He had nothing else to do. Ikora had told him before she left to "find his source of power." She had tapped a finger on her head as she said this and he didn't really know what it meant. She had left before he had been able to ask.

It seemed like he would be sitting there for a while so he decided to meditate. It wasn't something he normally did but maybe it would help ease his worry for his fellow Guardian on the other side of the Emergency Room door. He sat for a while, trying to clear his mind. Thoughts and worries kept surfacing and he tried to push them down. Did anyone in the Reef know he was alive? Did the Queen? He shuddered at the thought of the Queen being aware of his current condition. She would not approve. One of her agents, a Guardian. She would probably have him killed if he returned to the Reef. He forced this thought away, not wanting to dwell on possibly painful futures. Slowly the thoughts stopped coming. He was able to sit without thinking. Below the surface of his consciousness he could feel a presence. Not just one, but two distinct types. Two different sources of power. One seemed hot and angry and the other hungry and cold. He got the impression of scorching flame from the first and utter nothingness from the second. The first seemed closer, stronger than the second. There also seemed to be an empty space, like something was missing but Marcus couldn't tell what was supposed to be there. He tried to touch the fire and his Ghost cried out. He opened his eyes and saw that his arms were engulfed in orange flame.

"Shit!" Marcus cursed as he stood and waved his arms about frantically trying to put out the flames. The fires died almost immediately and the burning source of power receded. "What in the name of the Queen was that?" he said brushing ash off of his arms. Strangely, his armor was unharmed by the fire.

"Ikora was right, you do have talent as a warlock." North said, spinning in the air next to Marcus. "That was the raw power of a Sunsinger. We will have to tell Ikora about it and you will have to learn to control it." Just then the doors to the ER opened and Dr. Gray stepped out. Marcus turned to the doctor, his expression hopeful. Dr. Gray smiled.

"She'll live." She said and Marcus was relieved. "She had remarkably few burns but a large wound in her side. It will be some time before she is fully recovered but the most dangerous time has passed. You will be able to visit her as soon as she wakes; which should be some time tomorrow. She is lucky to have a boyfriend like you."

"No no no. I'm not her boyfriend. I just caught her when she collapsed on the stairs in the Hall of Guardians. I don't even know who she is." Marcus explained hurriedly.

"Oh, I thought maybe you were since you stayed all morning and even missed lunch." Dr. Gray said, indicating the clock on the wall. "It's almost 1600 hours."

"I was just concerned for a fellow rookie Guardian." Marcus said.

"Too bad I'm already married or I might have pursued her myself, she is more attractive than most female Guardians. Especially Titans." she shook her head. "Too much muscle mass."

Marcus wondered, as the doctor departed, how common homosexuality was on Earth. In the Reef it was fairly common, mostly among the women who believed that men were an inferior life form, and in the men who tried to court these women and realized the futility of it. The Queen had not been one of these women, however, as far as Marcus had been aware. She did not like formality when in private and most certainly would have told one of her favorite agents. He pushed the memory away before it led to darker things and decided he would try to find some lunch. North provided an alternative to the Vanguard rations and Marcus set off to the restaurant.

 **Look at that. The chapter doesn't end when Marcus goes to sleep. You met some new guardians and the vanguard and even got some info about Marcus' past. Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off I want to say that this took longer to write than I had anticipated. I wanted this to come out two days ago but I was too busy with other things. I want to get back to a two chapters per week schedule. I will try to put out another chapter on friday.**

Chapter 4

The hunter did not wake the next day, or the day after that, nor the next twelve days after that. On the thirteenth day she woke.

Marcus got the notification from North that she had finally woken up from her coma. It was morning and he had been eating breakfast at his favorite cafe in the city, The Little Light. He quickly finished his meal of egg on toast and hot tea and left a pile of glimmer on the table on his way out. The main mode of transportation in this part of the city was hovercar, but it was not the fastest. That was by sparrow, since Marcus' ship was in the hangar and would take a while to get it prepped for travel. North materialized the sparrow and Marcus threw his leg over and hit the accelerator. He made sure to stay on the roads that the hovercars used for two reasons: to avoid any pedestrians and because it was the most direct route to the Tower. Even so, it was a good twenty minutes before Marcus arrived at the base of the Tower.

The large doorway was open wide during the day to allow for high volumes of people entering and leaving the building. Marcus dismounted his sparrow and walked quickly to the elevators along the left wall. While most of the elevators were more traditional and had the capability to stop at each floor, a few were specially designed to go only between the ground floor and the roof and were restricted to Guardians. Marcus chose the closest Guardian only elevator and pressed the button. Even being an express elevator with only one possible stop it still took about five minutes to reach the roof.

The elevator doors opened to the a room adjacent to the Hall of Guardians and Marcus decided it would be a good idea to notify Cayde-6 of his new hunter's awakening, if he was not aware already. The hunter Vanguard was nowhere to be seen in the Hall so Marcus assumed that he had already gone to the hospital. Marcus returned to the elevator room and descended to the hospital just a few floors down. Somebody must have notified the front desk that he would be arriving because he was immediately escorted to a single patient room. The room number was 117 and Marcus couldn't help but think that the number was significant in some way, he just couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was an old memory stirring or just a gut feeling. He knocked on the door, trying to figure out what it was that the number signified. Whatever it was was forgotten when he entered the room.

Cayde-6 was indeed there already and sitting in a chair near the bed. He had been talking when Marcus knocked. Sitting in the bed was a young woman with deep auburn hair and bright green eyes. Her mouth opened and closed like she was trying to speak but couldn't find the words to say. Luckily for her, Cayde-6 spoke up.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to get here." the exo hunter said from his seat. "Though I am afraid she remembers little from before she passed out." his sigh sounded like the whine of an electric motor.

"Um. . . Hi." she said, summing up the courage to speak. "I'm Allison Ward, my friends call me Allie. Well I guess they used to, before I . . . died and was revived here." She was obviously uncomfortable thinking about her death.

"And no, before you ask she is not related in any way to Jaren Ward." Cayde-6 interrupted. "She says she was born at the very beginning of the Golden Age."

"Yeah, my grandfather was one of the astronauts that originally went to Mars and discovered the Traveler." Allison said. "Jacob Hardy. He became a celebrity when he got back apparently. This was all before I was born though so I only know what he told me about it. He said that the Mars mission was the most important moment in human history and the end of a age of human self-sufficiency."

Allison's Ghost chimed in and said "What a way to describe the beginning of the Golden Age." Her Ghost had a strangely distorted voice.

"I agree with the Ghost, strange but accurate." Cayde-6 said. "It seems he was more right than he knew. Look around you, everything you see is because of the Traveler. Where would humanity be without it? No one knows. Would the Darkness have wiped the Earth of all life or twisted humans into its pawns? Would exos and awoken have ever existed? Would the Darkness have even arrived if the Traveler hadn't? All questions for the warlocks, I say. Us hunters should stick to shooting things in the head, much easier." Cayde-6 put his feet up on the side of the bed and leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head.

"What exactly is an exo and an awoken?" Allison asked, "They weren't around when I . . . died." She shuddered at mentioning her death.

"You're looking at them." Cayde-6 said. "I'm an exo, to put it simply, a robotic body with a soul similar to that of a human, except not bound to a bag of meat. An awoken is. . . well maybe you should ask one." he indicated Marcus who had just sat down in the other chair.

"Hello Allison, I'm Marcus Vol." Marcus began with introducing himself. "Awoken live out in the Reef mostly, though some have come back to Earth after the Collapse. We used to be humans but we were changed by the Darkness. Now we are something between Light and Dark. At least that is what our leading historians think, and what we are taught as children. Now that I am a Guardian I don't know think the Reef will accept me back."

"Were you recently revived like me?" Allison said, curious. "How much do you remember from before?" Marcus thought about it for a moment.

"The only things I don't remember are whatever happened just before I died. Maybe a day or two. I was revived only four days later so that could be a factor. Who knows how long you were dead for and that may affect how much you remember." He said. "I wonder if anyone has done research on this."

"You're lucky to remember as much as you do." Cayde-6 said to Allison. "I had no memory whatsoever when I was raised. Only a name scratched into my forearm."

"You're lucky you even had that." Cayde-6's Ghost said as it appeared. "The rest of your limbs were torn off and thrown more than a mile away in all directions. I had to fabricate new ones for you. You never did thank me for that." The Ghost dissolved into light and disappeared with a beep.

"Well, I should probably get back to work." Cayde-6 said as he stood. "I've got other hunters to train. Speaking of training, Allison, I will be too busy to visit you for the next few days so you should come see me when you are recovered. I will help you learn to control your new abilities as a hunter."

"Yes sir." Allison said. "Dr. Gray says I should be able to leave within the week."

"Good." Cayde-6 nodded. "But don't rush it. The last thing you want is to aggravate your wounds. See you in training." He exited the room, leaving Allison and Marcus alone, of which Marcus was painfully aware.

"You're a warlock, right?" Allison asked, preventing an awkward silence before it could start. "What can warlocks do that hunters can't?" Marcus began explaining the three classes of Guardian and the defining attributes of each. A hunter's agility, a titan's toughness, a warlock's recovery. He told her about the three known elemental types: arc, void, and solar and which types correlate with each class. Allison would ask questions and Marcus would answer them to the best of his ability.

"I'm sorry." Marcus said after a while. "I need to meet with Ikora Rey, the warlock Vanguard, for training in five minutes. It was nice to meet you Allison. I guess I'll see you later?" He stood and went to the door.

"Just call me Allie," She replied, smiling. "Can I call you Marc?"

"Sure." Marcus smiled back. "Bye Allie." He opened the door.

"See ya Marc." Allie said as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Marcus walked quickly to the more permanent suite that he was given after his first meeting with the Vanguard. He put on his armor and went to find Ikora for training.

Allison lay back and closed her eyes, too exhausted to keep them open. She had learned a lot about the world she had been brought back to from talking with Marcus. Strange robot people, people with glowing eyes, all things that hadn't existed when she had been alive the first time. It felt surreal, like a dream. Maybe it was the anesthetic, she thought. It made her head feel light and heavy at the same time. The world she was in now was drastically different from what she remembered. She wanted to do something. To move. To get out of the hospital bed and run. She had always been able to clear her head with a good run.

She sighed and a foggy memory rose to the surface. Predawn glow to the east. Snow underfoot. A bow in hand, arrow nocked. Tracking the deer all day. Then it vanished, back down to the murky depths of memory and try as she might, it would not come back. She decided that it would not be worth it to get frustrated. If she was going to remember then it would come to her whether she wanted it to or not. Her side began to ache then and she called a nurse who allowed her some painkillers. Allison took them and drifted off to sleep.

She dreamed of a spark of white light amidst a vast black ocean. The spark wavered but did not go out. From that spark came two other, smaller sparks. One blue and one orange. The blue was brighter and felt closer than the orange. She reached out to the sparks and took them into her hands. She cupped them before her, blue in the right and orange in the left. A third spark split from the white and floated towards her. The third she caught between the first two and they hovered there in her hands. She felt the power in the sparks. As she closed her hands on them the dream ended and she slept peacefully until morning.

A week later Allison was released from the hospital. Marcus had visited her every day that week and continued to explain concepts that she was confused about, which wasn't as much as he would have thought. It seemed that society had changed little in the few hundred years since Allison had died. Neither of them were sure if this was good or bad. Marcus shook himself from his reverie and stood straighter as the warlock Vanguard addressed him.

"Today is the day, young Guardian." Ikora said. "You have learned the basics from me, but now you must master your abilities on your own." She gestured to the holographic display above the table. "Your ship needs a warp drive if you are to leave the Earth's atmosphere. Right now we do not have the resources to build you one. Especially since your ship is non-standard, however, our scouts have reported that a warp drive may be located in the same complex where you found your ship." Ikora continued. "Unfortunately they have been unable to enter the complex to confirm it's exact location. We need you to go in and find that warp drive. This will also serve as a test, of sorts. You will be assigned a fireteam for this mission as well." At the mention of a fireteam the other two Vanguard entered the room, each with a Guardian in tow.

A titan marched behind Zavala while a hunter walked casually behind Cayde-6. Marcus looked to the titan first. He was surprised to find that it was Kat-3. He was even more surprised to see Allie behind Cayde-6. Before he could speak Commander Zavala began issuing orders.

"As of now you three are Fireteam Chimera." He said. "You have all just been briefed on your first mission together and leave in half an hour. Good luck, Guardians. Dismissed."

 **Finally, the first mission. It took a while to get here but there were critical things to set up beforehand. Like the Fireteam itself. Everybody hold on to your butts because this thing is just getting started. Thank you again for reading. Please favorite and leave a review, it helps a lot.**


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